[Federal Register: June 7, 2001 (Volume 66, Number 110)]
[Notices]
[Page 30682-30683]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr07jn01-10]
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[[Page 30682]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety and Inspection Service
[Docket No. 01-017N]
Codex Alimentarius Commission: 24th Session of the Codex
Alimentarius Commission (Codex)
AGENCY: Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting, request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA), is sponsoring a public meeting on
June 6th, 2001.\1\ The purpose of this meeting is to provide
information and receive public comments on agenda items that will be
discussed at the Twenty-fourth Session of the Codex Alimentarius
Commission, which will be held in Geneva, Switzerland from July 2-7,
2001. The Under Secretary recognizes the importance of providing
interested parties with information about the Codex Alimentarius
Commission.
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\1\ FSIS is filing this notice for immediate public inspection
on June 5, 2001 because FSIS was not able to publish notification in
advance of this public meeting in the Federal Register due to late
changes to the agenda.
DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for June 6, 2001, from 1 p.m. to
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4 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held in the Franklin-Adams Room
at the Washington Plaza Hotel, 10 Thomas Circle, Washington, DC. 20005.
To review copies of the documents referenced in this notice, contact
the Food Safety and Inspection Service Docket Room, U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service, Room 102, Cotton
Annex, 300 12th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20250-3700. The documents
will also be accessible via the World Wide Web at the following
address: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leavingFR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.codexalimentarius.net/cac24/docliste.htm. Submit
one original and two copies of written comments to the FSIS Docket Room
at the address above and reference docket number 01-017N. All comments
submitted in response to this notice will be available for public
inspection in the FSIS Docket Room between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.,
Monday through Friday.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: F. Edward Scarbrough, Ph.D., U.S.
Manager for Codex Alimentarius, U.S. Codex Office, Food Safety and
Inspection Service, Room 4861, South Building, 1400 Independence Avenue
SW, Washington, DC 20250; Telephone (202) 205-7760, Fax: (202) 720-
3157.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex) was established in 1962
by two United Nations organizations, the Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Codex is
the major international organization for encouraging fair international
trade in food and protecting the health and economic interests of
consumers. Through adoption of food standards, codes of practice, and
other guidelines developed by its committees, and by promoting their
adoption and implementation by governments, Codex seeks to ensure that
the world's food supply is sound, wholesome, free from adulteration,
and correctly labeled. Codex meets biennially. The Executive Committee
serves as the executive body of Codex between the biennial meetings.
The provisional agenda items and the relevant documents to be
discussed during the public meeting are:
1. Election of Officers of the Commission and appointment of
Regional Coordinators, Document ALINORM 01/2
2. Report by the Chairperson on the Forty-seventh and Forty-eighth
Sessions of the Executive Committee, Documents ALINORM 01/3 and ALINORM
01/4
3. Report on the financial situation of the Joint FAO/WHO Food
Standards Programme for 2000/01 and 2002/03, Document ALINORM 01/5
4. Report by the Secretariat on relations between the Codex
Alimentarius Commission and, (a) Other international intergovernmental
organizations Part I, (b) International non-governmental organizations
Part II, Document ALINORM 01/8
5. Consideration of matters arising from FAO and WHO Conferences
and Governing Bodies, Document ALINORM 01/7
6. Consideration of the Draft Strategic Framework, Proposed Draft
Medium Term Plan 2003-2007 and Chairperson's Action Plan, Document
ALINORM 01/6
7. Risk analysis policies of the Codex Alimentarius Commission,
Document ALINORM 01/9
8. Consideration of proposed amendments to the Procedural Manual of
the Codex Alimentarius Commission, Document ALINORM 01/10
9. Consideration of Codex standards and related texts, (a) Draft
standards and related texts at Step 8 or equivalent Part I, (b)
Proposed draft standards and related texts at Step 5 Part II, (c)
Proposals to elaborate new standards and/or related texts Part III,
Document ALINORM 01/21
10. Matters arising from reports of Codex Committees and Task
Forces Part IV, Document ALINORM 01/21
11. Codex Committees and ad hoc Task Forces, (a) Designation of
Host Governments Part I, (b) Proposed schedule of Codex Sessions 2002-
2003, Document ALINORM 01/16
Public Meeting
At the June 6th public meeting, the agenda items will be described
and discussed, and attendees will hear brief descriptions of the issues
and will have the opportunity to pose questions and offer comments.
Additional Public Notification
Public awareness of all segments of rulemaking and policy
development is important. Consequently, in an effort to better ensure
that minorities, women, and persons with disabilities are aware of this
notice, FSIS will announce it and provide copies of this Federal
Register publication in the FSIS Constituent Update. FSIS provides a
weekly FSIS Constituent Update, which is communicated via fax to over
300 organizations and individuals. In addition, the update is available
on-line through the FSIS web page located at http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leavingFR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.fsis.usda.gov.
The update is used to provide information regarding FSIS policies,
procedures, regulations, Federal Register notices, FSIS public
meetings, recalls, and any other types of information that could affect
or would
[[Page 30683]]
be of interest to our constituents/stakeholders. The constituent fax
list consists of industry, trade, and farm groups, consumer interest
groups, allied health professionals, scientific professionals, and
other individuals that have requested to be included. Through these
various channels, FSIS is able to provide information to a much
broader, more diverse audience. For more information and to be added to
the constituent fax list, fax your request to the Congressional and
Public Affairs Office, at (202) 720-5704.
Done at Washington, DC on May 24, 2001.
F. Edward Scarbrough,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 01-14473Filed 6-5-01; 1:59 pm]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P